Calgary’s Kite Fest was held on May 16 and 17, 2026 at Granary Road – a family activity park – over the long May weekend marking its first year of the festival.
Although the weather wasn’t inviting on the first day, nonetheless the two-day festival still went on and included kite demonstrators, workshops and family programming.
The festival is run in collaboration with the Kite Guys, an Alberta company founded in 1989 by Bud Taylor and brother Scott, who passed away in the mid 2000s.
Taylor and his wife, Sharon Musto, have spent decades flying kites across Canada providing workshops and flying lessons at community events and festivals.
Musto, a retired teacher, is also a longtime kite-flyer and an organizer with Kite Guys, praised as Canada’s best-known kite company. She joined the operation in 2010 as a kite designer and workshop instructor.
For Taylor, kite flying is tied to his early childhood and was a family tradition.
“My grandfather and my father taught me how to make kites out of newspaper,” Taylor said.
Drawing from his family history, the majority of the festival focused on children and first-time learners, which also opened an opportunity for his wife to pass on her knowledge and experience.
“Kids have that same feeling when they build something, and it actually works. It’s just phenomenal. They get so excited. They’re giddy, they’re squealing,” Musto said.
An important aspect of kite flying is accessibility, and both Taylor and Musto prioritized that for the event.
“They can be sitting in a wheelchair and fly a kite and just have the biggest grin on their face,” Musto said, highlighting the activity which is welcoming for everyone.
Also, Taylor and Musto encourage parents to spend more time outdoors and not be too connected to technology.
“It [kite flying activities] gets kids off their devices for a little while. Gets them outside in the sunshine. There’s nothing negative about it. It doesn’t use batteries,” Musto said.
Taylor’s main message was how much of a difference you can feel after using a kite.
“Grab a kite, go make a kite, take it outside, and make it fly. You’ll be amazed, and your heart will change.”